MOSCOW: Russian pole vault great Yelena Isinbayeva says she may have been “misunderstood” when she made comments condemning homosexuality.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist appeared to back off her comments at the World Championships.
In a statement Friday, she said: “English is not my first language and I think I may have been misunderstood when I spoke yesterday. What I wanted to say was that people should respect the laws of other countries particularly when they are guests.”
On Thursday, Isinbayeva backed Russia’s new anti-gay law and also criticized two competitors for their rainbow-colored fingernails in support of gay rights.
Isinbayeva said Friday: “I respect the views of my fellow athletes and let me state in the strongest terms that I am opposed to any discrimination against gay people.”
